"Extra" part on track

Went to CP on 8/18 and 19. Had a great time. Anyway while in line for MF (10 times in 2 days) I notice a piece of track that had what would best be described as 2 I-beams with squares on both sides with 4-holes in the corners. Sorry I have no pictures. It is on the only straight piece of track before the final overbanked turn. Any ideas what that would have been for or is for? I have other questions. Look for my other posts.

Trim Brakes. But they weren't needed so they weren't installed.

Yup I saw that when I went yesterday. And thouhgt the same thing.

They're for trims if they ever (God forbid) need them.
http://pointxtreme.com/gallery/details.php?image_id=837
You can see it there, near the end of the train.

Hopefully MF will never get a trim there, or anywhere on its track. The ride wouldn't be the same if it was any slower.

Ride it very early in the morning in May or October and it will be quite a bit slower... up to 8 seconds slower....

Nothing like morning test rides where you hold your breath hoping you make it over the return bunny hop over the lagoon. And the final "crawl" through the last overbank.

Thats why you will never see a trim installed there. The brackets on the track seem to be for a permanent magnetic trim as opposed to a "retractable" block brake. Installing a permanent trim there would cause numerous rollbacks on cooler days.

*** Edited 8/23/2006 12:24:45 PM UTC by Josh M.***

8 seconds Josh? I heard on opening day it was TWENTY EIGHT seconds slower.

I would beleive it. Early in the season Mike sent an empty after last ride of the night and boy did it crawl back.

28 seconds? Maybe my memories have faded, but I thought trains normally ran around 65 seconds, and if it got up in the 70s it was trouble... and below 60 was very fast...

I can't imagine 28 seconds being trimmed off...

Perhaps it was for an alternate photo location? It just seems pointless if it was intended to be a brake. Why would they brake it that close to the end? For one turn?

I've been told it throws a trouble light below 58 seconds, but I don't know what the upper limit is. I'd believe 20 seconds (78 seconds?) but maybe I'm way off. You can definitely tell time differences between morning in Early spring to evening in the middle of the summer.

I'm pretty sure the trouble light is at 58.99 seconds (watching that thing is crazy on hot days - I've seen it going 59.01!). But is there really a need for a trouble light if it's going too slow if it doesn't valley?

If I remember right, there is a trouble light for a "valleying" speed... but it never makes it back to the waiting block to register the time, because its sitting idle on the track :)

Did anyone notice that they added these this year?
http://pointphotography.net/images/roller_coasters/millennium_force/16.jpg

Apparently they don't like the gum and coins that collected on top of the supports.

I'm fairly sure that that was added a couple of years ago. 2004 or 2005 I think.

Calypso said:
Why would they brake it that close to the end? For one turn?

If you look at alot of Intamin Hyper/Giga you will see that most have a trim twards the end. Just a "Well on the off chance we need it thing".

Speaking of valleying... here's a picture of the removable track everyone always talked about, but could never find (a picture of)...
http://www.pointpixels.com/4images/details.php?image_id=6717

DBCP said:
I'm fairly sure that that was added a couple of years ago. 2004 or 2005 I think.

I'm not sure when Josh took these, but the round covers are not here.
http://www.pointxtreme.com/gallery/details.php?image_id=844

Yeah, I believe those round covers were added during this season??

I don't think I noticed them in June or July...

That picture was from May 2005.